Campus Observation Book

This assignment will guide you through a process of considering the relationship between the form and content of books.

You will create a book and an essay about your book.

When you submit your project, you will complete this submission form, which helps ensure that you have understood and met the expectations of the assignment.

Your Book

Your book will take one of the forms we have learned about in class so far: it will be a scroll, an advanced pamphlet, an accordion book, a dos-à-dos book, or another creative form. (If you want to choose another form, check in with me first so that we can be sure you have the time and materials you need to execute your plan.)

The content of the book will be based on a structured observation of Grinnell. You will have done such structured observations for class before taking on this assignment; you are welcome to use your work from those exercises, build on it, or make new observations in a similar spirit.

You can define the audience of your book. Perhaps the audience is simply our class. You might think of other people you would like to introduce to your vision of Grinnell, however, such as friends or family members who are thinking of you in your first semester here. The audience of the essay section of your project is our class, so you can assume people are familiar with the idea of a campus observation book and the readings we have done together.

Your Essay: Standard Version

You will write three sections, as described below. Each section should contain 150-300 words, for a total of at least 700. As we have discussed in class, you will use Chicago NB style citation (PDF) to document your sources. This version of the paper will use and cite at least two sources, and you are welcome to use our class readings among those sources.

Section 1: Overview of the Book and Its Audience

Introduce the reader to the basics of your book. What kind of book is it? How do you think of its intended audience? What content does it include?

Section 2: Form and Content

Explain why you have chosen the form of the book in relation to its content. How do the affordances of this form allow you to do something with the content that would not be possible in the same way with other forms?

Section 3: Concluding Thoughts

Bring your thinking about the project together. How do form, content, and audience relate to one another in the book object you are sharing with us?

Your Essay: Extra Version

You will write four sections, as described below. Each section should contain 150-300 words, for a total of at least 900. As we have discussed in class, you will use Chicago NB style citation (PDF) to document your sources. This version of the paper will use and cite at least five sources, and you are welcome to use our class readings among those sources.

Section 1: Overview of the Book and Its Audience

[same as Standard Version]

Section 2: Form and Content

[same as Standard Version]

Section 3: Response to Historical or Artistic Inspirations

Explain at least two specific influences that have informed your project. These influences may include those you have seen or read about in class.

Section 4: Concluding Thoughts

[same as Standard Version]